A New Type of Illegal Alien

[treestar]

Just another problem the US is creating in the Middle East

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/050107S.shtml

Invisible Iraqis
By Charlie Jackson
t r u t h o u t | Guest Contributor

Tuesday 01 May 2007

Against a sensual and elegant backdrop of marble and lush carpets, impeccably attired men and women talk business in a room overlooking the fairy-tale lights of the city. The clink of ice in sparkling glasses, the splashing of Scotch and the fizz of soda mix with the talk and the muted laughter. The setting? Not Paris, or even Chicago or Dallas. This is the Le Royal Hotel in uptown Amman, where wealthy Jordanians, Iraqis and Americans come to deal.

Downtown, however, near the al-Husseini mosque and Roman ruins of the ancient city of Philadelphia, a very different picture unfolds: one of grinding poverty, fear and desperation. Off a narrow alley in a room without windows, lives one of the many poor refugee families from Iraq. Like those who have fled to Damascus and elsewhere, this family is in search of relief and an escape from the unrelenting violence.

"Mohammed" (not his real name) brought his family to Amman to find medical care for his son, and a life removed from the violence of Baghdad. In his prior life, he earned a living as a truck driver, but here in the city he and his four children, ranging from ages three to eleven, live out their time inside the dimly lit room so they won't be arrested as illegal refugees.

"Riya," his wife, spends her day sitting on the sidewalks of the old souk (marketplace) selling cigarettes, lighters and trinkets. She has a pleasant smile for each customer, but must be vigilant to ensure she doesn't get arrested or have her goods confiscated by the police. She wonders if anyone cares about her little family.

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